


The One With the Magic

by yeratimelord_katniss



Series: Karamel Fanfiction Challenge [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/M, Gen, Karamel Fanfiction challenge, Not a One shot anymore, Pre-Relationship, bc aparently idk how to stop, changed title
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-11-21 22:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11366907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeratimelord_katniss/pseuds/yeratimelord_katniss
Summary: Two nervous first years share a train compartment on their way to Hogwarts.Karamel Fanfiction Challenge - First Week - Hogwarts AU





	1. First Year: the Train

The mechanical clunking of the train, the cheery chatter of friends reuniting after a summer apart, and the scenery rushing by her carriage's window did nothing but highten Kara's excitement.

Alex had just left to join her friends in their own compartment, though not before offering to stay with her. Somehow she seemed even more nervous than Kara, but in the end she left her with a hug and the instruction to use the train ride as an opportunity to make some friends before being seperated by House. That was easier said than done.

Kara was alone in the carriage, and it seemed she would stay that way - if the chatter coming from the nearby compartments was anything to go by, everyone had already found their company - which meant Kara would have to go and seek out some company by herself. To Kara, that seemed like a really frightening prospect - she would probably just bother people if she went around knocking on every door - but she'd promised Alex she would try. After giving it some thought, she decided it would be best if she changed into her uniform first, and then she'd go out. There was a knock in the doors just as she was adjusting her tie.

"Come in," she called, and saw with some relief it was another first-year, his tie not yet showing any House color.

"Hi," he said, and though he seemed rather nervous, he looked her straight in the eye as he continued. "Would you mind if I join you? I'm Mon-El."

"I'm Kara." Then, "Come in."

She helped him put his trunk above his seat a they smiled nervously at one another. Kara wondered if it would be this hard to talk to every new student she met, and if the awkward silence was going to last forever.

It didn't. All it took was Mon-El asking her if she played quidditch, and soon they were debating the importance of seekers versus chasers, and whether Chudely Cannons were ever going to win anything, and which broom is the best. The conversation only lulled as the trolly lady came by. Both of them bought some Chocolate Frogs; Mon-El added some Licorice Wands, and Kara some Caramel Cobwebs, and they spent the next couple of minutes munching on their respective sweets.

"Do you want some?" Mon-El offered her some Licorice.

"No, I can't. They're way too sweet." The last time Kara ate Licorice Wands she went overboard and got sick. She couldn't handle the sweet since.

Mon-El scoffed. "They're not nearly as sweet as Caramel."

"Hey! Caramel Cobwebs are the best sweets there are and I won't have you insulting them."

"I wasn't insulting them, I just said they're really sweet." When he saw Kara was still frowning, he continued. "I actually love them, though they can't beat Chocolate Frogs."

"They can so." Then, after a moment. "You want some?"

"Sure, thanks."

And so the conversation resumed, this time regarding candy and other confectionery. From that they discussed the food at Hogwarts, and Kara told Mon-El about the secret entrance to the kitchens her sister had told her about.

"Is she a Hufflepuff then?" Mon-El asked, seeeing as that was the House closest to the kitchens.

"No, she's a Ravenclaw. That's how she knows about it - Ravenclaws know everything."

"No they don't," Mon-El scoffed. "Nobody knows everything."

"Sure they do! My sister's a Ravenclaw and she totally knows everything."

"Well my entire family is in Ravenclaw and they sometimes get really stupid!"

"Your entire family?"

"Yeah."

"So do you think you'll be a Ravenclaw too?"

"I don't think I'm smart enough, but I hope so. My mother will kill me if I don't. Though I think she'd be okay if I were a Slytherin."

"My mum told me it's okay whatever House I get into, and that the most important thing is that I feel like I belong there."

"Your mum sounds amazing." Mon-El sounded a bit jelaous.

"She is."

"So what do you think, which House will you be?"Mon-El asked.

"What do you think?" Kara was suddenly really interested in what he was going to say.

"Well you're really nice, and helpfull so you'd be a great Hufflepuff, but you're also really brave - I'd never dare to try to do a Finbourgh Flick on a Nimbus - so you'd do great in Gryffindor. And you're pretty smart so you could be a great Ravenclaw, or Slytherin."

Kara may have blushed. Very slightly. "That's really nice thing to say, but what does being smart have to do with Slytherin?"

"Well Slytherins are cunning, right? Well that's like being sneakily smart."

"That's not true! You're making that up," Kara accused, though it did make sense whan she thought about it.

"I am not!" Kara stared at him with narrowed eyes, and Mon-El couldn't help but fidget.

"What?"

"I think you're going to be a Gryffindor."

* * *

Hogwarts was beautiful, and magical, and _huge_ , but even the see-trough ceiling was not enough to calm the flock of butterflies that made their home in Kara's belly.

She whished Mon-El was next to her, or at least nearer to the end of the row, but he was almost at the start, while she was the very last. Why did she have to be the last? _Find the bright side_ , her mother'd always told her. Well, the only bright side she could find was that at least she wasn't the first - but she was still annoyed. She wanted to know which House she was in, she hoped she was in the same one as Mon-El - the only friend she had made so far - and the uncertainty was killing her.

She perked up as "Foster, Adam." was called, making Mon-El the next in line (She knew Adam, she'd met him a few times at one of the society gatherings her parents attended) and was very quickly sorted into Gryffindor.

"Gand, Mon-El."

 _What?_ She must have heard wrong, or there was another Mon-El and hers had accidentally stood at the front of the row - there was just no way the boy she'd spent hours talking to was a Gand.

But Mon-El didn't seem surprised or confused, he calmly walked up to the had and sat on the stool. He met her eyes and offerd her a nervous smile as the hat was lowered onto his head. It took him longer than the kids before him, he was frowning and seemed to be arguing with the hat, but it wasn't more than a minute minute before the Sorting Hat loudly pronounced he was to go to "HUFFLEPUFF!"

His smile was shaky as he walked to the black-and-yellow table that matched his newly colored tie, and Kara suddenly remembered what he said about his mother. _"My mother will kill me if I don't get Ravenclaw."_ She was clapping before she knew it, louder than even the welcoming table of his new House, and the more confident beam he sent her way made the weird look she got from Alex more than worth it.

The row shortened as more and more students got sorted, but Kara was deep in thought. She'd heard her parents rant about the Gand family over a million times; she knew they were selfish liars, treated their house elves terribly, and opposed every notion her mother tried to get passed in the Wizengamot. She knew Rhea Gand was released from the accusations of being a Death Eater during the War pleading innocence on the basis of being under an Imperious, and she knew her father thought that was a load of hippogriff dung. But she also knew Mon-El, who - as far as she knew - had never lied to her and who she really really liked and wanted to have as a friend. Mon-El who offered her the disgusting Licorice Wand and seemed so scared of his mother. She was not going to let his surname change the fact that they were friends, and that was the thought that she clung to as her name was finnaly called.

"Zor-El, Kara."

Mon-El looked just as surprised as she had felt before, and Kara realised it might be _him_ who decided he didn't want them to be friends.

She shouldn't have worried. He offered her a smile as Proffesor McGonnagal lowered the hat on her head, and seemed relieved when she returned it. And when the hat cried out "GRYFFINDOR!" he didn't hesitate before he started clapping and cheering as she was welcomed into her new house.


	2. First Year: First Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am weak, and live on positive feedback, and know too much about the Potterverse, so yes, the oneshot has beacome a multichapter. I don't know how often I'll update, but everything is planned out. There'll be 21 chapters, two per the fictional year + the epilogue, but they won't be over 1.5k long. I hope you like it, and don't forget to comment!

There were people that still stared when Kara joined Mon-El at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast. It shouldn't be so unusual - everybody knew that unlike the other Houses Hufflepuffs accepted friends at their table, regardless of their house - but it seemed that their families' famous rivalry and high status made their friendship something exotic.

At the beginning Kara would sink under the curious stares, talk as quiet as she could and only with Mon-El, trying to bring as little attention to herself as possible, uncomfortable under the curious stares of what seemed the entirety of the Great Hall. After three months of this, however, she was simply beyond caring.

She slumped next to Mon-El without a hello, exhausted after the last night's Astrology lesson, waiting in silence as he started filling her plate without prompting, letting her steal his freshly poured tea. Sometimes she felt like she had the absolute best, best friend in the world - other times she fought with her urge to hex him as he continued to leave all his homework and reading to the last possible moment.

I wasn't until she finished both the tea and half of her pancakes that she finally felt awake.

"Good morning," she told Mon-El, shoving another bite in her already full mouth.

"Morning," he returned with a smile. The annoying jerk was far too cheerful for someone who was a self-proclaimed 'night person', and he was mocking her with that smile, Kara was sure.

"Why are you so happy?" she demanded. "We have double potions in less than two hours!"

"I know."

"He said, smiling, for some reason." It was like opposite day, with Kara being grumpy and Mon-El cheerfully optimistic. "Did someone hit you with a cheering charm?"

"I got a letter from my mother today," Mon-El said, as though that would explain his happiness. Letter from Rhea Gand usually resulted in a sad, self-doubting Mon-El, and an angry, protective Kara. She didn't want to point it out to him - even when it's unexpected, happy Mon-El was better than the sad one, so after a moment she settled for the more neutral.

"So... what did she say?"

"The French Minister of Magic invited the family to join him at his private resort in the Alps," he shot out.

"I didn't know you wanted to see the Alps _that_ much."

"I don't. But mother was afraid I was going to embarrass the family name with my new Hufflepuff views, or family traitor agenda, I'm not really sure, and decided I am to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays."

"Oh." Well, that explained it. Kara felt all her tiredness and bad mood dissolve like it was never there, and launched herself at Mon-El, hugging him with all her strength, squealing.

There was that short moment where he hesitated - Kara found out pretty early in that his parents rarely offered him positive physical contact - but it was becoming a shorter pause every time, and she claimed credit for it proudly. Naturally a hugging type, she made sure to hug him as often as she could - after making sure he was comfortable with it. That time she went to ruffle his hair and he _flinched_... Kara didn't like to think about it, seeing as he refused to talk about it. She tightened her hold on him as she remembered it.

"What are you two firsties so exited about this early in the gods' sacred morning?" The familiar voice of Nymphadora 'Call me Tonks' Tonks, a 6th year with the maturity level of a five year old, prompted them to finally draw apart. She was sporting curly blond hair streaked with black and purple, cat-like blue eyes, and peach colored skin - a look she'd been favoring for over a month now.

"I thought you didn't believe in any gods, Tonks," Kara asked curiously.

"And it's nine thirty," Mon-El added.

"Unimportant," she declared. "Now spill, what's the news? Did Peeves throw the Dungbombs at Snape like he promised?"

"What? No!"

"I wish. That would be so great," Mon-El said. "I'm staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, my mother just wrote. We'll celebrate Christmas together!"

"Aww, you two are just too cute. I wish I'm staying too, but we're staying with dad's family in Kent. But don't worry, you can always send me my presents by owl."  
And with a wink, she was off, long curls bouncing as she left.

"Merlin's soggy socks," Mon-El muttered after a moment of silence. "I forgot about presents! We're not allowed to go to Hogsmeade, how are we supposed to buy presents!?"

"There's always owl order," Kara said.

"I guess." Then he turned to her urgently, something just occurring to him. "You're staying at Hogwarts too, right? I didn't even ask!

"Well..." she drew out teasingly, but at his frown sobered. "Of course I'm staying you silly. Why do you think I was so excited?"

A breath whooshed out of him almost comically. "Oh, thank Merlin."

"Now come on," she stood up and pulled with her. "We've still got Potions to get trough."

"Ugh." Then, "Do you think it'll get canceled if Peeves throws those Dungbombs?"

* * *

When Mon-El started looking for presents, he thought Kara's would be the most challenging. How do you find a perfect gift to show your _best friend_ how much they mean to you, and how much you appreciate their friendship? Hom much he valued the fact she stayed his friend even when she found out he was a Gand? It was an impossible task, surely. In his panic, he'd went to Maggie, a fifth year perfect, for help.

_You can never go wrong with jewelry,_ she'd said. _Or clothes. Or sweets, really. Just make sure she knows it's from your heart._

But it turned out hers was the easiest, especially thanks to Maggie's simple guide - he'd spied the necklace the moment he entered the Cressens' Shop of Odds and Ends, hanging there above the counter, and a quick visit to Spintwithes Sporting Needs was enough to find the clothing part of the gift. He spent the longest in Honeydukes, finding it hard to not just spend all him money on the sweets there, and made sure not to forget Caramel Webs and Chocolate Frogs. He felt like he knew Kara so well, her likes and dislikes, he might as well have been buying his own gift.

He bought a nice Ravenclaw blue pendant for his mother and a Book of Obscure Magycks for his father. For Tonks he found a Weird Sisters T-Shirt and a box of Honeydukes Dark Chocolate, and to all his Hufflepuff year mates he bought a Honeydukes' gift box. For Cedric he added his Basil Horton Chocolate Frog Card - he'd been trying to get it for ages, and for Song a Prank Set from Zonko's shop, including Sugar Quills, Hiccough Quills and Frog Spawn Soap; they were the first ones to make him feel welcome in his new house, acting as though he didn't come from a family of prejudiced blood purists, though Chris Song could sometimes be pretty annoying with his endless, well, singing.

Here came the hard part - Lena Luthor.

As the daughter of Lionell and Lillian Luthor, and heir to the Luthor family fortune, she was his mother's chosen candidate as the future Mrs. Gand. It was never spoken out loud, of course, the alliance between their families still too new, too untested, but Mon-El knew his mother had all but made her mind. She was a perfect pureblood lady, even at the young age of eleven - graceful, well spoken, intelligent, beautiful, Ravenclaw, and just as opposed to their planned betrothal as Mon-El was.

They've decided to play at being obedient children, and act out later, when the contact gets drawn, and as such were forced into a strange friendship of sorts. Lena hated him, hated what he represented - her dependence on her family, her family's uncaring towards her. She hated being used as a pawn in the game of political alliances. Mon-El felt rather the same.

He liked to think it wasn't because of the way his mother always talked to her like what she said meant something, or the fact that _Lena_ was a Ravenclaw, like a proper Gand should be. No, it was just the fact he hated the idea of being married to _anybody_ , much less someone his mother had chosen for him, hated the fact that his freedom was just an illusion he could hold on too - an illusion that seemed most real at Hogwarts.

He tried not to think about it, did his best and often succeeded in forgetting the whole situation, determined to enjoy his years at Hogwarts, but some courtesies had to be observed, and he had to find an appropriate gift for his ally in the let's-not-get-married plan. Only, what do you buy to someone who's already told you they hated you, and you returned the sentiment, even though you feel a kinship to them - your family situations being equally horrible?

He was already on his third round around the shops, when he saw it. _Magic and Science - the Myth and the Truth_ by _Mathilda Magsly_. At their last meeting before Hogwarts, when they'd excused themselves from the adults' conversations, they found themselves in Lena's bedroom. Mon-El had just managed to glimpse what he was _sure_ was a muggle magazine, with a header _Chemistry Today_ before Lena had shoved it under her bed and glared at him so menacingly he didn't dare to ask about it.

He bought it, convincing himself it was the right gift - chemistry was a science, he knew (Eve Teschmacher was a muggleborn Hufflepuff in his year, and she never minded when he asked stupid questions about the muggle world.) and so it made sense she would be interested in it. And if she wasn't, well. They weren't _real_ friends anyway.

* * *

The bag laying by her feet shimmered enticingly under the fairy lights decorating the Great Hall, as it had been for the last ten minutes. Where was Mon-El? And _why_ had they decided to open their gifts together in the Hall rather than in their dormitories like everybody else? She wanted to know what he bought her!

His footsteps were loud in the almost empty room, the round table that replaced the four house tables only occupied by few professors and some higher-years, the hour being far too early for most remaining students. Mon-El's bag of presents was just about the same size as hers, she noted with some pleasure. She didn't want his presents to look small or lame next to hers.

"You're late!" she hissed quietly, not wanting to disturb the quiet atmosphere of the room.

"By ten minutes," he replied as he sat next to her, leaving some space for unwrapping their gifts.

Kara huffed, but didn't bother retorting, and immediately fished out a small rectangle from her bag. She didn't have the patience to wait any longer.

"Um, Kara?"

"What?" she asked, and stopped unwrapping the silver box.

"Happy Christmas!"

Kara blushed. "Happy Christmas, Mon-El. Now let me see my presents."

"All right, you first."

The one she'd already started unwrapping turned out to be a jewelry box. She couldn't stop the smile that stretched as she opened it.

"You're an honorable Hufflepuff, you sit at the table so often, so you've got to have a Hufflepuff tie." He sounded a bit nervous, but he shouldn't have. The small tie pendant with black-and-yellow stripes was the best possible gift ever. She just couldn't really find the right words to express that, so she settled for a quick hug.

"Alright, now you open one of yours," Kara said. Now _she_ was the one who was nervous. Her gifts seemed pretty lame in comparison to his.

He unwrapped the lumpy package with great care, obviously not wanting to tear it like Kara had. She just wished he'd hurry up a bit.

"Merlin," he breathed as he finally saw the gift. It was an ugly Christmas jumper that wasn't ugly at all. The dark blue served as the background sky to the dangerous looking dragon that flew around the jumper. It was an Ukrainian Ironbelly, his favourite dragon. Mon-El didn't waste time with hugs - he shrugged it right over his thin pajama shirt. Kara frowned. It looked a bit baggy on him.

"Thank you, Kara." The grin on his face threatened to split it in half. "It's amazing."

An unholy screech left her as she saw her next present. "Where did you get this!? This is limited edition!"

An official Holyhead Harpies jumper, signed by Gwenog Jones herself, was in her hands. She was too scared it was going to disappear if she took her eyes of it, so she didn't.

"That was the only size they had left in Spintwithes Sporting Needs," Mon-El said apologetically, and Kara noticed it was several size too big for her.

"I don't care," she said. "It's perfect."

She blinked, and finally tore her eyes from her jumper.  

"Hang on," she accused. "Spintwitches don't have owl order."

"Um." The panic in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Where did you get this?"

An indistinguishable murmur left his lips.

"What?"

"In Hogsmeade!" he hissed, then looked around in panic. Nobody was near enough to hear, so he focused back on her. "Fred and George showed me the way out. There's a secret tunnel behind the humped witch-"

"Are you insane?"  Kara interrupted him. "If you'd gotten caught, you could have been expelled!"

"But I didn't!" He laughed. "Besides, nobody ever gets expelled from Hogwarts."

"Hagrid got expelled."

"Other than him, no one! And you got a jumper that was signed by _Gwenog Jones_."

"Fine," Kara huffed. "I'll ignore it this time. But don't be this stupid ever again!"

"Aright, sorry. Now can I open my other gift?"

"Sure," she said, but instead of watching him painstakingly open the gift again, she put on her new favorite jumper. It came down to her thighs, but it was perfect.

"Is this-" he started as he took a book out of the box, only to notice there was an extension charm on it, and there were more under it.

"Yep," Kara said proudly. "The entire Lord of the Rings series, hardcover edition."

He'd told her about the time his mother caught him reading the first volume, and her reaction when she realized it was a muggle book. He'd found it while waiting for his parents to finish their business in Diagon Alley, on the street outside the Leaky Cauldron, so he took it, and fell in love with it. His mother had burned it right in front of his eyes, and locked him in his room for the rest of the day, and later forced him to read the _Superiority of the Pure_ , by _Phineas Black_.

His eyes darted between the books and her for a few times before her leaned forward and hugged her. _He_ hugged _her_. Kara returned the embrace immediately not wanting to waste the opportunity. In over three months of their friendship, every hug had been initiated by her. This was the first time he started it, and the significance was not lost on Kara.

He felt safe with her. He trusted her.

"Happy Christmas, Mon-El."

"Happy Christmas, Kara."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> almost everything abot Hogwarts anf Hogsmeade is canon, only the books are made up. how sad is it that I only had to fack check like three things?  
> Please leave a comment!

**Author's Note:**

> This is really short and not much happens but I wrote it so I thought why not post it.  
> Please leave a review :-)


End file.
